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THE CHRONICLES OF THE DAD HATTER:

About Me

I have loved fashion since I was old enough to wield a pair of scissors and start a collection of scrapbooks.I also love to write...hence this blog... about my take on fashion and trends and people in fashion and how I feel about them and it and...well,enough said.
But this isn't a fashion blog like any others as it isn't only about fashion. It is about having fun and laughing and having views and sharing them...as I share The Chronicles of The Dad Hatter with you...and he has absolutely Nothing to do with fashion!...but more to do with laughing. Get the picture?

I thought that would be the end of that...we had a laugh,we pointed fingers and we laid it to rest. After all we are talking about an actual hula hoop with a classic 2.55 Chanel bag stitched across the bottom and priced at £1,500 for a 24cm across version...Yes!! There is a price tag involved in this travesty!!Designers often create "pieces" that are meant for the catwalk show only...call them "statement pieces" that do just that and then are never produced for retail. The Chanel Hula Hoop wagonwheel started showing up on certain "fashionistas/bloggers"during Fashion week....Yes it takes all kinds and freaks do frequent Fashion week to get papped,smooched and applauded for their cunning and daring. But something unheard of happened,this farcical,cumbersome "bag" turned up at the Chanel Corner in Selfridges, modelled by the One and Only Queen of Senseless Sensationalism : Kris Jenner .Need I fill in the gaps?

Now to add insult to injury; the great Karl Lagerfeld himself has provided an answer as to whom in their right mind would want to invest in something so gymnastic (without the benefit of whittling down your waist but only enhancing the hump that is progressively growing on our backs from the Ma- houssive handbags we schlep around anyway!!!):

" It's for the beach....You need space for the beach towel. And then you can put it into the sand and hang things on it...."

Well next to beach towel you can also place your brain 'cos that's obviously been frazzled by the sun and if you are Justin Bieber you can place your monkey or Kim can carry Kanye...to keep him by her side....As for "the things that you can hang" on it ,well they are as obvious as the nose on your face:

a) your dignity

b)your self worth and

c)... your pride 'cos they aren't going to be worth shit once you've been seen with this parody of good taste.

Monday, 29 April 2013

Friday, 26 April 2013

This is a well thought out, extremely cohesive and avant garde collection that has caught my eye....after all the delightful designer herself lives around the corner in Monaco.Let me present to you the new designer that wants to conquer the world of leather...Move over Jean Claude Jitrois...Dora Tokai is in town.Ambitious Dora is heading in the right direction,everything about her collection from the webpage to the photographs scream professional, well thought out and creative. But she is no flash in the pan,Dora has been immersing herself in the world of "creativity and painting " from a tender age back in her native Hungary. Her parents encouraged her vision by letting her express herself liberally around their home and nothing stopped her inquisitive mind. Studying art and architecture,moving swiftly through European countries to hone her heart and hungry creative mind, Dora moved onto the fascinating world of digital art and when that wasn't enough...Dora hightailed it to London and interior design.I could list all her achievements that brought her to this point in her young life...but what really matters to me and hopefully to my readers is "the here and now" and that is her fabulously exciting collection inspired from her Monegasque way of life . Dora lives amongst the privileged and pampered in Monaco and from every molecule she inhales of the "Monaco Heritage" lifestyle she lives in...a little more pours out of her into her collection inspired by her surroundings : the prestigious galas, the motor racing ...the fast,fast lifestyle of the rich and famous.

So enough said....I want to let the images speak for themselves and to let Dora's inspiration and passion seep slowly into your collective minds .

I am excited about this collectionand so should you.... : it is young, sexy and extremely playful and what is the world of fashion if not a little playful.

All her pieces are made with care by professionals and when it comes to purchasing an item or 2 Dora tells me that:..." Currently the collections are accessible only to a few in Europe, Middle-East and Singapore. In a few weeks though I am launching an online web shop so that people can place orders and they will also be able to take their measurements thanks to an online body scanner."

....Come on! How thorough is that? Dora is one step ahead, feet facing forward, her hand on the gear stick revving up her engines...what with Grand Prix season around the corner ....she is in Pole Position and good luck to her.

Food Fest in London...after all that is part and parcel of the trip...the sights...the sounds...the food...the shopping and...the Dad Hatter !With my stomach attempting a rumble or two well before lunchtime...here are some yummy photos of yummy food:

...too hungry to even remember to take any pictures at NOVICOV once again...Mea maxima Culpa...so here is the bar and the gorgeous orchides on display...

Did I mention we sighted who could well have been an aged and rotund Axel Rose? ...to be confirmed...then again...who cares.

Moving on:

After theatre dinner at The Wolseley....ever impeccable,ever professional mouthwateringly good:

The Wiener Schnitzel with the best fries in town...a little gravy and some Lirac red wine.

Interestingly enough...yet another celebrity sighting: Joan Collins with her husband Percy Gibson and friends. And Yes! I am sure..she was sitting in booth behind us.

Now on to some exciting news , from the folk who brought us the wonderful,delectable eaterie in London: The Wolseley....Here is "Brasserie Zedel"

It is a wonderful Parisian style brasserie in full art deco mode that evokes a sense of deja vu from way back then...cavernous and chic, filled to the brim with happy people eating good French food ...but who can say it better than food and restaurant critic: Jay Rayner

" A great-value brasserie that offers the taste of the gastro-palaces of Paris at the price of your local Café Rouge" writes Jay Rayner.

It is exactly that!

So let me walk you through this charming brasserie with some photos I did take!

Ok..got the gist of it and the fabulous decor?

Let's eat!

Choucroute Alsacienne

With saucisse de Mortaux .....not my favourite in the lot...but a must in this choucroute...

And for dessert:...as Grandma used to make it (well not mine but anyway):

Riz aux Lait and its compote

Hungry yet? God I am ...better get cracking on lunch.

Brasserie Zedel has all the pomp that The Wolseley has but with maybe a hint less circumstance...not that that diminishes it in anyway...just to say it brings in a great lunchtime crowd and at darned reasonable prices.

She has won the hearts of many on and off the catwalks and has single handedly changed the way we perceive "Top Models"....no airs,no graces and no demands other than to be herself in a onesie and to enjoy her youth and her profession.

Long gone are the days when a model wouldn't get up for a certain sum....Linda Evangelista...When Linda, Naomi, Cindy, Claudia, Christy and Tatiana where all seen as being :"Gianni's Angels"

... until the untimely demise of the poor man and with it ...the Supermodel status that Janice Dickinson argues was her title way before any of these girls uttered their first gurgle.

Kate Moss started the trend and Cara now flies the flag: fresh faced and fancy free.

Monday, 22 April 2013

.....Where else??It has always been known as the "Store with More"...well by me anyway. There was a time you could order almost anything your heart desired and Harrods would get it for you...now they can fill a tall order but with a modicum of sanity.

Harrods has been and always will be my second home...I can roam the halls from food to sports and never lose my way.. And!.....I can still be amazed by its stalwart magnificence no matter who owns it now....although I must say that there has been a marked improvement with the latest owners .... Harrods has regained it's modjo by being rid of the ...Hmmmm,,,how should I put it?Bad taste and over the top self glorification of its previous owner.There is a So Dior exhibit and .....Yes! I'll admit it: I didn't get a chance to go...so you must!!But I did manage to go to the Shoe department( check out my previous post: FUR-BIDDEN).....like I would miss that.Here's the latest on that:Christian Louboutin has moved to be replaced by my beloved Manolo Blahnik : a sumptuous boudoir of his latest and greatest with top notch sales men on hand, ask for Andrea he has the gift of the gab but knows his Manolos from his Loubous styles,heel heights and all....(Louboutin fans fear not Harrods is creating a new space for the highly popular creator).You can now also find Zanotti ...but I have to highlight Gucci :....the loafer has been given a make over and is as delicious as ever:

Friday, 19 April 2013

We had an Audience with the Queen, well....Helen Mirren to be precise but it may well have been , her performance was not only flawless but absolutely riveting. Helen Mirren was asked to reprise her role as the Queen by Stephen Daldry (the director)but this time for stage and not screen at the Gielgud Theatre on London's Shaftesbury Avenue.The play is based around the Queen's weekly meetings with her Prime Minister(every Tuesday except for Tony Blair who insisted on moving it to Wednesday....Tony Blair is not featured in this play but mentioned here and there):" ...His wife, Cheryl...""That's Cheri mam...""Ah!"

These weekly sessions(that no one is privy to nor are there any records of the conversations held...) have been going on since Sir Winston Churchill (played by the wonderfully enigmatic Edward Fox) to the present day. Only 7 of the Prime Ministers are portrayed and quite accurately I must add, including David Cameron .

This is not a serious play, it is tongue in cheek,funny and also extremely touching . The set design is absolutely breathtaking as is Helen Mirren's swift "on stage" change of costumes. I don't want to spoil it for you and give it all away but it has you remembering the Queen in her youth,her hopes,her aspirations and how she may have felt trapped within the hallowed walls of Buckingham Palace.This really is a beautiful, first class production with marvellous professional actors ....the standing ovation was a given.

NB:What is it with people who seem to be in perfect health while the lights are on only to succumb to debilitating coughs once they are dimmed and the curtain is up!???And there were plenty that night...does it have to do with the A/C?...who knows but you can hardly shout out:"Shut It!!!" with Helen Mirren on stage.... I mean "Mam"...

Sunday, 14 April 2013

(...Before I get into it :No...this isn't a children's book store!)I was in London and did have every intention of looking up this new addition from the wonderful folk who brought us : H&M and my beloved COS....but I couldn't find it! "O' Rage! O' Desespoir!!I did nip into Cos on Regent's street but what with the incessant rain and an acute need to pee...we abandoned the search and hopped into a cab. So...here is the scoop:"&Other Stories" was 3 years in the making and an exciting new label and way to shop. The team have thrown out the "high street fashion" rule book by thumbing their noses at everyone else's flash in the pan approach to fashions and trends. What they are bringing to the table are 4 "style stories" which evolve from season to season. The cost is "higher" than H&M (thank God...) basing themselves nearer to the Zara / Reiss price range with fashion that should accompany you from year to year by working with your wardrobe and not against it.Do check out the extensive online shop and website...my finger was clicking all over the place...I had to reel myself in and share this with you.

With shops in Paris,London and Italy.......and I bloody couldn't find it!!!!Oh! the shame.....kicking myself ....and now will go back and shop on the online store.

For all the newbies to this blog and for those who haven't "clicked" on the little cartoon chap on the left hand side...do so NOW!New: "The Dad Hatter Chronicles "...hot off the press and direct from The Dad Hatter himself:The "Eyes" have it and What did you eat today?

Saturday, 6 April 2013

MUSAE COLLECTION is a Concept Store newly opened in Cannes. It is about vision,class and objects that are chosen from the heart: "...les coups de coeur"as the lovely soft spoken owner Marie Sophie Delaire explains to me.This store appeals on all sorts of levels; mainly aesthetic, but also playful,innovative and fun. Marie Sophie has a refined eye, she is French after all and extremely creative in her own right as she is also developing designs of her own. There will be a few tables for coffee to be served... everything done in moderation and to enhance the Musae experience. This is not any kind of shop;this is a boutique in every sense of the word:charming , enchanting and an absolute must for all shoppers in the Cannes area....there really is no excuse.Now feast your eyes on these:

*Delightful luminaries: The 4 Seasons*

*Woven neoprene baskets*

These are the Pieces de Resistance in my eyes and an absolute "coup"...the MUST HAVES by far:Get ready to be awed and "ahhhhh-ed"